Tillandsia setacea

Plants densely clustering, flowering to 30 cm. Stems short. Leaves 15–30, many-ranked, finely appressed, erect, green to reddish green, 20–30 × 0.1–0.4 cm, uniformly scaly throughout; sheath rust-colored, broadly triangular, flat, not forming pseudobulb, 0.8–1.8 cm wide; blade very narrowly linear-triangular, ribbed, leathery, margins involute, apex filiform-attenuate. Inflorescences: scape conspicuous, erect, 8–15 cm, 2–4 mm diam.; bracts densely imbricate, erect; sheath of bracts, especially upper ones, narrowing abruptly into blade; spikes erect, palmate (rarely simple), linear, compressed, 1–4 × 0.5–0.6 cm, apex acute; branches 1–5. Floral bracts imbricate, erect, green or tinged red, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), ovate, keeled only toward apex, 0.8–1.2 cm, thin-leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex attenuate to acute, surfaces appressed-pale scaly, venation slight. Flowers 3–15, conspicuous; sepals with adaxial pair connate, elliptic, keeled, 0.8–1 cm, thin-leathery, veined, apex acute, surfaces slightly scaly; corolla tubular, petals erect, lavender, ligulate, 1.8–2.2 cm; stamens exserted; stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral. Fruits 2–3 cm.

Phenology: Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat: Epiphytic on a variety of hosts in swamps and humid forests
Elevation: 0–60 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Fla., Ga., Mexico, West Indies, Central America.

Discussion

It is probable that Mexican and Central American materials represent one or more additional species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.